Age dependency ratio, young in Canada

Canada: Age dependency ratio, young was 23.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
23.1%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
174th
of 215 countries
All-time high
58.1%
in 1962
All-time low
23.1%
in 2025
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Age dependency ratio, young in Canada, 1960–2025

0204060196019922025

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of working-age population.

Analysis

The most recent figure for age dependency ratio, young in Canada is 23.1%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, age dependency ratio, young in Canada peaked at 58.1% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 23.1%, in 2025.

Canada ranks 174th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 55.7% 50.6% 58.1% 10
1970s 41.2% 34.6% 48.7% 10
1980s 31.5% 30.4% 33.6% 10
1990s 30.0% 28.7% 30.6% 10
2000s 25.9% 24.1% 28.1% 10
2010s 23.9% 23.7% 24.1% 10
2020s 23.6% 23.1% 24.0% 6

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 171 Finland 23.3% compare
  2. 172 Cyprus 23.3% compare
  3. 173 Netherlands 23.3% compare
  4. 175 Switzerland 23.0% compare
  5. 176 Luxembourg 23.0% compare
  6. 177 Slovenia 22.9% compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More health data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is age dependency ratio, young in Canada?
Age dependency ratio, young in Canada was 23.1% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
What is the highest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 58.1% in 1962.
What is the lowest age dependency ratio, young recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 23.1% in 2025.
How does Canada rank for age dependency ratio, young?
Canada ranks 174th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
Is age dependency ratio, young rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Age dependency ratio, young (% of working-age population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Age dependency ratio, young (% of working-age population)
Unit
% of working-age population
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
264 places, 17,394 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.